


The Wallflowers

by HanShootsFirst



Category: Original Work
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Awkward Romance, Awkwardness, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Civil War, Death, Dorks in Love, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, First Kiss, First Love, Forbidden Love, Gay, Gay Character, Gay Male Character, Gay Panic, Gay Sex, Kissing, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Romance, Running, Running Away, Sad, Sad Ending, Tragic Romance, Unrequited Love, Violence, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-16 05:51:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19311943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HanShootsFirst/pseuds/HanShootsFirst
Summary: After his sister falls ill, young Silas is sent off to work for a rich family in order to get money. Though, as a a romance sparks between him and his employer's son, and they get caught in the middle of the Civil War, the two will go to desperate measures to help it last. But how far are you willing to go for love?





	The Wallflowers

"You must be the help," Was the first thing Mrs. Rousseau said to me as I entered the kitchen. She was standing near the oven, holding an infant in one hand and a freshly baked pie in the other. She didn't look up as she spoke, but continued to go about her business. "I'm Jane, but you may call me Mrs. Rousseau, and Mrs. Rousseau only."

"Yes ma'am." I blinked, watching her as she fuddled about with the pie, setting it down at the edge of the table, then grabbing a knife and beginning to cut it. The infant was still cradled in her other arm, drool dripping down its face. "Would you like me to help you with that?"

"Of course not. I'm a fully capable woman, am I not?!"

"No, I mean yes, I mean-"

"You will only speak when spoken to. Is that clear, boy?"

I nodded, my face going whiter and whiter by the second. "Yes ma'am."

"Good." She turned to face me, eyeing me up and down through her tiny silver spectacles, which were resting on the bridge of her nose. The woman had to be about 40, though her hair was prematurely grey and her face was full of wrinkles from worry. "Now, boy, go find my son Julian. He'll be in the library a ways down from the parlour, I assume. Have him give you a tour of the place and show you to your chores."

"Yes ma'am." I bowed and exited the kitchen, and began to wander the halls of the Rousseau Manor. I had imagined what the insides of homes like these would look like, but I never imagined it would be this beautiful, especially compared to the tiny shed of a house I'm used to.

My family is a large one - 6 kids, and I'm the oldest and the only boy, so I'm nautically the one sent off to find work. As much as I would love to go to school, I knew this was more important. It would give my little sisters a chance at an education.

It didn't take long to find the library. There was a glass door, which I could see mountains and mountains of books through, which only tripled when I walked inside. More books than I knew were in the entire world were right in front of me. It was hard to take it in.

"Oi, who the hell are you?"

I jumped in shock, almost screaming, and whipped around to see who had approached me.

A girl who appeared a year or so older than me, with red curly hair and a dress that made her look like Little Bow Peep, was standing next to a bookshelf, holding three books in her arms.  
"Uh...I'm the new maid. Or...whatever you call a male maid. Is there a word for that?" I said quickly, my stomach filling with nervous butterflies.

The girl laughed loudly. "Mother mentioned we'd have a new servant soon. I'm Mary. Mary Rousseau."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." I bowed. "I was told to look for a man called Julian, any idea where he could be?"

"Oh, that's my brother." Mary smiled. "I think he's-"

"Oi, did someone say my name?" Another person popped out from behind Mary, looking lost.

"Yeah, he did." Mary pointed at me.

"Who's that?" The boy - apparently Julian - scrunched his nose, eyeing my up and down with a look of suspicious on his face.

"He's Arthur's replacement." Mary said.

"Who's Arthur?" I asked, before remembering what Mrs. Rousseau told me earlier (only speak when spoken to) and cringed at my stupidity.

"Our old servant. His mother fell ill so he had to go back home and take care of her." Julian explained.

Poor boy. I thought, but didn't say anything. Instead, I just nodded. "Mrs. Rousseau told me to find you. That you'd give me a tour of the home and what my daily jobs shall be."

"Oh." Julian frowned. "Well, okay. I suppose I can do that. Mary, you may go now."

Mary rolled her eyes and began to walk off. "Yeah, okay. Whatever you say Julian."

"Annoying, isn't she?" Julian muttered to me when she was out of earshot, beginning to walk out of the library and into the hallway. "Don't worry about her. I'll make sure she doesn't bother you."

I frowned. "Uh...thanks?"

"She's my sister, obviously, but we're nothing alike. She talks way too much, and her hair is like carrots! It's so orange, I've never seen anything like it! But she drives me insane, more than words can describe."

"Okay..."

"Us boys, we gotta stick together to avoid people like her. Don't you think!"

"Uhh..."

"Oh, I'm Julian, in case you forgot."

"Pleasure to meet you sir." I said, glad I finally got a chance to speak.

I eyed the boy up and down. He appeared to be my age, and unlike his sister, he had dark brown hair and the bluest eyes I had ever seen.

"Ew, don't call me sir. It makes me sound like an old man."

I frowned. "Well what should I call you then?"

"Julian, of course." He said, and my stomach dropped. How was I supposed to refer to my employer by his actual name? "And you?"

"What?"

"Your name?"

Oh.

"You really want to know my name?" I blinked.

"Yes, of course! How else am I supposed to talk to you?"

"Good point...just none of my other employers ever bothered to learn my name." I smiled. "It's Silas."

"Silas!" His eyes lit up. "That's so romantic. Like a flower! I love it! Though when I first met you I thought your name absolutely had to have been either Andrew or Cyril, but now I can only see you as a Silas."

"Um....thank you."

"Some people say I look like a Charles, but I don't see it. Personally, I would like to be something more like Eros. Isn't that just exotic and beautiful?"

"Eros? Like the Roman God?" I had to bite my lip to prevent myself from laughing.

"What other Eros do you know of?"

I shrugged. "I don't know."

Julian laughed.

"So...what shall my jobs be while I work here?" I asked, hoping to get onto the actual topic rather than getting fired for not knowing what to do.

He gave me a look of bewilderment. "How should I know? Just do what mother tells you to do, I suppose. Though I doubt she will tell you much." His expression darkened a bit. "I think the only reason she hired you was to give me a friend. One that isn't my older sister, I mean."

"It would be an honour to be your friend Julian." I smiled at him, feeling a tang of pity for the man, but at the same time, feeling overjoyed for myself. Being hired just to have a friend? That was the best job I could think of.

"You really think so?" His ocean blue eyes sparkled.

I smiled at him. "Of course."

"Come on, let's go to my room!"

"Um...why?"

"So we can talk of course! Isn't that what friends do?" He tilted his head in curiosity. "I've never really had a friend before, I don't know what they do."

"I haven't had a friend either." I exhaled, the words spilling out of me.

"Really? But you're so likeable!"

"You're surely joking, Julian." I said, following him up a grand set of stairs. "I'm nothing but a servant."

"That doesn't define you though."

"How so?"

"Well, I'm not defined by being rich. In my own person."

"I suppose you have a point." I shrugged. "But still. I'm just me. Just Silas."

"Well, Just Silas, you're my best friend now."

——

I came home late that night to the sound of coughing. "She's no better, is she." I sighed, setting my bag down on the ground and walking over to where my mother sat, my sisters head in her lap.

"No." She replied simply, obviously annoyed by my presence.

My heart sank, and I bit my lip. "Anything I can do?"

Mother shook her head. "Just go get some rest, stop bothering us."

"Alright." I nodded, smiling and walked into our room. It may have seemed as though mother was being horrible, but I knew she was just stressed about Beth, so I didn't let it bother me.

I shared a room with the rest of my sisters, who, with the absence of Beth, were already in bed, yet still chattering among each other.

"Silas! You're back!" Anastasia cried, jumping out from under the covers and wrapping me in a tight bear hug.

"Hey." I smiled at her. After me, she was the oldest, and the sister I was closest to.

"How was work?" Miranda asked groggily from under the covers. I took off my shoes, and crawled under the covers next to her, and Anastasia laid next to me.

"It was good." I told her, closing my eyes, exhausted from the seven mile walk from our home to the Rousseau Manor. Our family didn't have any horses, or enough money to afford to rent one for a ride, so we had to walk everywhere we went.

"Silas, aren't you going to say your prayers." Penelope poked me from next to Lillian, who was the only one asleep.

"I'll do it tomorrow, alright? I'm sure God is too busy to listen to my prayers anyways. He knows I'm grateful."

"Fine." She frowned.

And then we slept.


End file.
